Slice Pizza Club No. 8: The Report

Slice reader Conduit Design Group just asked how Pizza Club No. 8 went. So, without further delay, the quick rundown.

Numero Ocho was scheduled for this past Sunday at Coney Island. Unfortunately, so was a crappy nor'easter. Girl Slice and I made our way to Totonno's anyway, just in case any stalwart readers made the trip. Nobody did. Oh well. It turned into a soggy private date for just us two.

We knew the Cyclone would be closed, but we exited at the Surf Avenue end of the station (above) because we had to meet any prospective attendees at noon at Nathan's (below).

We hung out under the overhang of the station for a bit and took some pictures. Hey: At least we're getting some moody snaps out of this debacle, huh? Besides, it's dry under the overhang, so we chill for a bit while scoping out our route across the street. Giant puddles block the way in every direction (above). Our spirits begin to sink.

The original plan was to meet at Nathan's at noon (above) for an appetizer hot dog before heading to the Cyclone. We navigated our way across the street, dodging puddles, and waited at Nathan's until 12:15 p.m. Some other foolish souls braved the weather to hit up Nathan's, but none were there for Pizza Club—not even the scruffy hipster dudes who we pegged for possible Slice readers. We skipped dogs and saved our appetite for a pie. By this point, I was putting on a brave face (above) but was resigned to this Pizza Club being a washout.

At Totonno's, all soggy from the four-block walk, we waited for our pie, a small half-pepperoni, half-mushroom. We overheard Totonno's owner Louise Ciminieri talking on the phone: "Two pies. One to go, one to stay. No. The news media has everyone scared to go out." I guess we were the one to-stay pie of the day so far.

This is our pie. I don't know if I'll even waste any pixels describing it, since I've blabbed about Totonno's enough to last a lifetime. It was good but was missing something. I don't know what. The crust was perfectly serviceable, with no tip sag despite the possible-sog-inducing mushroom and pepperoni toppings. The upskirt is at right. Good char, no? The crust was the only thing that day that wasn't soggy. But the pie overall just lacked oomph. Maybe it was the weather and soggy spirits of the eaters. Who can say.

I'll plan another Pizza Club soon. It's been too long since I've organized a successful one. Anyone with any ideas as to where we should go is welcome to leave suggestions in the comments or email me with them.

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About the Author

Adam Kuban is the founder of Slice, where he has been writing about pizza since October 10, 2003. He also founded A Hamburger Today, but burgers don't really do much for him these days. If you find Adam anywhere on SE these days, it's primarily in Talk and in the comments of Slice. He has taken an extended hiatus from his weekly pizza reviews and monthly Home Slice feature while he explores the actual work of pizza-making at Paulie Gee's in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

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